Dakota Mortensen has shared how he believes the Mormon church views The Bachelorette now that Taylor Frankie Paul is set to star on the upcoming season.

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Dakota noted that he doesn't have any inside information about how the church feels during a recent interview on "The Rub Down" podcast.

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But Dakota said with a laugh, "I can only imagine! I'm going to go just off instincts here, and I would say they probably hate the sh-t out of it!"

"I don't know [why]," Dakota continued. "I mean, my take might be different."

In terms of where he's at in his religion and faith, Dakota revealed, "So my story, like, obviously being in recovery, I was very much not in the church at all. I kind of was off doing my thing, having a great time."

Dakota said he was in "disbelief" for sure.

"I think there was even a point there where I was struggling with even just believing in God in general," Dakota confessed.

"And then once I got sober over three years [ago], I have to be very honest about how I'm feeling or what's going on. If I ever decide to start keeping things to myself and not expressing things to people I know would be there for me and help me, it's really bad."

Dakota added he would "just start going downhill, really quick" in that case.

"So I have to be very honest with how I'm feeling," Dakota explained.

"If I'm not feeling good, I have to almost express that to someone. I have to be like, 'Hey, I'm feeling crazy right now!' And so it just helps me get things off my chest and makes me feel a little bit better."

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Although Dakota seems to think Taylor's The Bachelorette stint is going to rock the Mormon community, the divorced mom of three kids -- who welcomed her children with two different "baby daddies" -- has already broken boundaries and slashed stereotypes.

Taylor created #MomTok on TikTok for Mormon moms to show different sides of their personalities and express themselves, and she also stars in The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives on Hulu.

Taylor's casting has proven to be a polarizing choice on ABC's part.

While Taylor has a huge number of supporters, especially given she's a popular influencer, many people are furious at ABC for choosing a woman who previously admitted to soft-swinging in her marriage.

Taylor was married to Tate Paul from 2016 to 2022, and they welcomed two kids together during their marriage: daughter Indy, 8, and son Ocean, 5.

Taylor had admitted to violating the rules of the couple's soft-swinging arrangement by becoming more intimate with another man in their friend group, which led to their separation and eventual divorce in May 2022.

Taylor then dated Dakota for more than two years. She and Dakota welcomed a son, Ever True, in March 2024.

Taylor and Dakota appeared to split in late 2024, although Taylor didn't confirm their breakup until early 2025. 

Taylor also admitted on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast that she hooked up with Dakota, possibly more than once, after their relationship ended.

RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)  

The Bachelorette 20 star even said she has "mixed feelings" about Taylor starring on The Bachelorette's 22nd season, which is set to premiere Sunday, March 22 on ABC.

But Taylor has insisted she's learned from her mistakes and plans to make wiser decisions in the future.

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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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